


Beyond the Wall, Beneath the Ivy

by Akiko_Natsuko



Series: Reaper76 [55]
Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst with a Happy Ending, Dysfunctional Family, Family Secrets, Fluff and Angst, Friendship/Love, Gardens & Gardening, Gen, Grief/Mourning, Love, M/M, Memories, Multi, Secret Garden AU, Secrets
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-26
Updated: 2018-11-26
Packaged: 2019-08-28 21:38:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,072
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16731114
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Akiko_Natsuko/pseuds/Akiko_Natsuko
Summary: Do you believe in magic?It is there in the brisk wind that puts colour in your cheeks, and in the slow shift from season to season, in the buds that burst into life in the summer and the leaves that fall in autumn. It is the magic that is found in laughter and friendship and wild spaces, the same magic that can allow a person to talk to wild creatures and understand them in turn, and that can enable a gardener to guide seeds and bulbs into life.In the gardens of his aunt's manor, Gabriel finds friendship and magic, and the key to a family of his own. Secret Garden AU.





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for the RBB, and based on this amazing art by Amekie: http://amekie.tumblr.com/post/168701970385/my-piece-for-the-reaper76bigbang-an-au-based-on

“And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don't believe in magic will never find it.” – Roald Dahl

 

****

_Do you believe in magic?_

_I don’t mean the kind of magic that you can see at the theatre, the white rabbits pulled from hats or the tantalising guesswork that has you staring in awe. No, the magic I am talking about is everywhere. It is there in the brisk wind that puts colour in your cheeks, and in the slow shift from season to season, in the buds that burst into life in the summer and the leaves that fall in autumn. It is the magic that is found in laughter and friendship and wild spaces, the same magic that can allow a person to talk to wild creatures and understand them in turn, and that can enable a gardener to guide seeds and bulbs into life._

_So, I’ll ask again, do you believe in magic?_

****

     Gabriel Reyes didn’t believe in magic, or rather he had never really given it much thought. At the tender age of ten, he was unlike most children his age, having been an unexpected, unwanted child, one that had threatened to curb his parents’ lifestyle and therefore kept hidden away where he couldn’t be a nuisance. It could never have been said that he hadn’t been provided for, because despite their distance, his parents lavished money on keeping him entertained and cared for, hiring a succession of maids and tutors to fulfil the role they were unable to fill themselves. However, it had been a mostly empty existence, and he had been surrounded by adults, adults who were paid to cater to his every whim, and so he had grown lonely and spoilt, and never even realised it.

      There had been no children for him to play with either, no one to nourish his imagination or talk to him of magic. Oh, he could play pretend on occasion, but it was rarely detailed and soon forgotten in favour of the latest desire.

    Perhaps the only inkling he had of magic was on his birthday each year when whoever was in charge of him at the time would present him a cake, ostensibly from his parents even though he doubted that they would remember and urged to make a wish as he blew out the candles. The first time they had told him that, he hadn’t understood, after all, his wishes were made real on a regular basis, and he had wasted the wish on something silly, a toy or sweet that he knew he would get anyway. However, at some point, he had started to think about those wishes, about the things that he couldn’t scream and shout to get, things that stamping his foot couldn’t provide.

_I wish that my parents would spend more time with me…_

_I wish that I could spend more time with people that weren’t servants…_

_I wish I had a friend…_

      He never dwelled long on those wishes once the candles were extinguished and his stomach was full of cake, and never gave them that much thought the rest of the time. Occasionally he would get small glimpses of his parents, stealing downstairs when they were entertaining and peering through the bannisters at these people who were little more than strangers to him, and yet it wasn’t anger or hatred he felt as he watched them, but rather curiosity and awe. They were beautiful, and he could feel his fingers twitching, itching to reach and run them over the fine clothes and to touch them and see if they were real, he didn’t though, watching, pushing back the wishes he tried not to dwell on. There would be time, maybe when he was older, if he became more like his parents, enough for them to notice him, to see him properly and for those wishes to come true.

*

There wasn’t time.

    Gabriel didn’t know what had happened at the time. His day to day existence passing, as usual, the shadow that had settled over the house going unnoticed, as did the absence of his parents, but then they were rarely there anywhere even if he was sure the servants had said they were going to be around for a few weeks this time. He missed the pitying looks, the whispers, and even if he had noticed them, he wouldn’t have understood.

    It had been two days later when the woman had come to talk to him. He had seen her a few times, usually when his parents were entertaining, noticing her because she had always stood out in her vibrant purple and pinks. Even now with a sombre expression on her face, she seemed to brighten up the dully lit sitting room he had been ushered into, and for once he didn’t argue or baulk when he was told to take a seat, obeying without a word and watching her intently. He had finally started to notice the whispers and the fact that there were fewer people in the house than there should be, but his demanding questions had gone unanswered, and he hoped that she might have some answers for him.

“Gabriel,” she began before hesitating, and he stared silently at her, refusing to help and eventually she sighed, shoulders slumping. “I’m sorry to be the one to tell you this, but your parents were killed at the weekend. It was a tragic accident, and they both died instantly.  _Oh,_ he was sure that he was supposed to react in some way, but he just felt numb, absorbing the words without expression, before something occurred to him and he frowned.

“What is going to happen to me?” Gabriel saw her expression shift, surprise and something he couldn’t place, and he wondered if she had been expecting him to react differently. However, after a moment she composed herself and offered him a reassuring smile.

“You’re going to go and live with your Aunt.”

“I don’t have an Aunt.”

“She is your Aunt by marriage, her husband was your late father’s brother,” she explained, looking unsurprised that he didn’t know this. “It took us some time to track her down, as the family have not been in contact for nearly a decade. However, she has agreed to take you in.”

“Why?”

“Because you are family.”

     That seemed to have settled the matter as far as she was concerned, but Gabriel was unconvinced. He knew that if things had been different, his parents would never have been willing to take in a child they didn’t even know, and he couldn’t help but wonder what this strange Aunt might want with him.  He didn’t mourn his parents. After all, how can you mourn for strangers? Although there was a pang of something as he watched the house being packed up around him, items carted off for sale, the large paintings covered in cloth, and he felt his eyes beginning to sting, hands curling into fists at his side as it dawned on him for the first time just how much things were going to change.

**

    The lady, Sombra, as she later introduced him travelled with him. For the first part of the journey, she kept up a constant chan of chatter, seemingly unperturbed by Gabriel’s silence and stony expression. She told him tales about his parents, and despite himself, he found himself listening, learning more about them in the hours cooped up on the ship than he had learned in the ten years he’d had with them. He hated it. He hated the fact that he was leaving behind everything that he knew, and he hated the constant chatter, the pity in her gaze when she thought that he wasn’t looking.

     There were other children on the ship and at Sombra’s urging, he had tried to reach out. However, he didn’t know how to interact with other children, especially after having his every whim catered too for so long, as it left him unwilling to bend to their ideas and demands. It didn’t take long for them to clash, and in his mind, they were the ones at fault, the ones that refused to listen to him. A lonely childhood, with no one to knock the rough edges off him, left him completely blind to the fact that he was the disagreeable one, and that his approach, which had worked on servants with no choice but to obey him would do him no favours in his new life.

    In the end, he had retreated, spending the rest of the trip sulking and trying to ignore the whispers and laughter of the other children whenever they encountered him, the nicknames that unknown to him, burrowed in deep. Sombra attempted to convince him to try again, frowning and disapproving when he refused or when he tried to place the blame on them, and after several days even her attempts faded away, leaving Gabriel alone, wrapped in misery of his own making.

****

Blackwatch Manor wasn’t beautiful.

      Sombra had seen him ashore, and into the care of Mrs O’Deorain, the head housekeeper at his Aunt’s house and even Gabriel hadn’t been blind to the relief in her expression when she had waved him away. It had been another reason to scowl and sulk as he tailed after the copper-haired woman who’d made no effort to wait for him or cater to his shorter legs.

    The journey to the Manor had passed in strained silence for the most part. Gabriel kept his gaze out of the window, taking in this new country with a blank expression, unaware of just how sour and unpleasant he looked to his companion. Eventually, the silence seemed to get to Mrs O’Deorain began to talk, chatting to him about their destination in a strange, lilting voice that caught his attention despite his best efforts to ignore her. Still, he couldn’t help but feel a spark of interest as she spoke of a large, empty house in the middle of nowhere, and about his Aunt.

   His eyes had darted to her when she mentioned this woman he hadn’t even known existed day before, but she said little. Apparently, his Aunt was reclusive these days, having lost her husband and suffering the loss of an eye in the same incident. She spent much of her time travelling around, and when she was at the Manor she liked to be left in peace- he wasn’t to expect to see her, and he was to stay away from that part of the house.

_It’s just the same._

     He hadn’t known what to make of the disappointment that had come with that realisation, and his interest had died there and then, his eyes turning back to the world outside, pretending not to hear her words as she spoke of vast empty rooms that he wasn’t to venture into. As she spoke of the wide, empty countryside around his new home. He let the words wash over him, hands curled into fists in his lap, and eventually, she had fallen silent.

    Hours later he had finally caught the first glimpse of his new home. The looming walls and the dark windows that seemed to peer over him with a brooding air had him shrinking back into the seat, thinking longingly of the bright, airy house he had grown up in. He didn’t want to be here, and yet there was no way of changing it as the car pulled up and he was ushered out into the evening air, shivering as he stared up at his new home. He was given a few minutes to take it before a firm hand against his shoulder began to urge him towards the front door and not knowing what else to do he obeyed, eyes never leaving the house. Just as they reached the large wooden door, he thought that for a moment he had glimpsed a child’s face in one of the upper windows, but as soon as he looked again, it was gone.

       He had been warned that he was the only child in the house and that he was likely the only child for miles around, so he didn’t say a word as he was led inside, sure that he had imagined it.

    There was no one waiting to greet him, and as he was led up to what was going to be his room, they were joined a giant of a man who was merely introduced as his Aunt’s manservant. Who had barely glanced at him, before informing Mrs O’Deorain that his Aunt didn’t want to see him and that she would be leaving in the morning and that she would be responsible for Gabriel’s care until her return. Gabriel wasn’t sure which of them looked unhappier at that news, and his mood soured, hurt building up although he didn’t know why, and it was relieved when he was ushered into his bedroom and told to get to sleep and to not leave until someone came for him in the morning.

***

     Gabriel should’ve known from the manner of his arrival that his life here at Blackwatch Manor was going to be different from his old one. It still hadn’t prepared him for the differences. For the way that the only people he encountered were servants, especially a young, bubbly one called Lena who seemed to have been assigned to him, but who showed none of the deference he was used to. She chattered to him in the mornings, seemingly uncaring of the sullen silence that greeted her words or the scowls when he was left to dress himself, and when she gently denied his demands for her to do anything that fell outside the duties Mrs O’Deorain had set her.

    The others, including the head housekeeper, seemed to go out of their way to avoid him, and when they did encounter him, they showed little interest in tending to his whims, or even in spending time with him, and for the first time in his life he had found himself completely alone. He hated it and lashed out with angry words and stomping feet, but it was like shouting into an abyss because here no would bow to his wishes and after the first week he had fallen silent. He no longer spat spiteful words at them, instead retreating by himself and it had been then, as he wandered through the vast, empty house that he had been struck by the realisation that he was lonely.

    It was a new feeling and an unpleasant one, and he hadn’t known how to combat it. His new guardian had made sure that he had everything he needed before leaving, but apparently, that had not extended to entertainment and Gabriel had no idea who to go to about that. And even if he had, he didn’t know how to put it into words, because before there had never been a need, he’d just had to hint at being interested with something, and it would be provided. Here, he had the feeling that any demands would be met with the same silence and blank expressions that his earlier ones had. Maybe if he ever got a chance to meet his Aunt, he might be able to find the words to ask for something to play with, but for now, all he had was the long, empty halls of the house and the long, winding paths that led through the gardens that surrounded the isolated house.

    He was walking along one of those paths when his boredom and loneliness led him to venture further afield despite the chill in the air and the brisk wind that seemed to slice through his clothes, yet another reminder of his changed circumstances. He missed the warmth of the sun and the vibrant colours of the country he had grown up in, the wintery weather had been a shock to the system, and the drab greys and browns of the countryside as it went to sleep did little to improve his mood. He hated this place, hated the eerie, empty house. Hated the servants that refused to listen to what he wanted. Hated the new feelings that were welling up, the thoughts that he had never had before. Hated the…

     There was a flash of colour, a startling crimson that stood out vividly against the drabness of the gardens and Gabriel froze, eyes widening as he followed it, taking in the tiny bird that had fluttered to the ground a short distance away. It was tiny, fragile, like nothing he had seen back home, and he couldn’t help but inch forward, only to freeze as it turned to look at him with one bright, beady eye, peeping at him cheerily. It felt as though it was saying hello to him, and after a day where the only person to acknowledge his existence had been Lena, it warmed him, and he couldn’t stop the tentative smile that crept across his face.

“Hello.” The bird peeped at him again, and Gabriel was convinced this time that it was talking to him and he smiled, unaware of how it changed his features. The bird trilled a few more times before hopping away, and desperate not to be left alone again, Gabriel chased after it. It became a game, the bird hopping along, always a few feet ahead of him, but whenever he faltered, it stopped and chirped again, urging him on. Gabriel had never played like this, never run like this, and it didn’t take long for him to exhaust himself, crumbling to a heap against one high, stone wall and panting heavily.

    He had thought that his companion would abandon him, but after a few minutes, it fluttered back to him, cheeping and chirping and Gabriel couldn’t help the exhilarated laugh that slipped free. “Hey, will you be my friend?” He asked softly, holding out a hand, half expecting it to flee, after all everyone else had, but although it didn’t touch his hand, it hopped closer and gave a loud, bold peep that sounded very much like a ‘yes’ and his eyes began to sting.

“Thank you… thank you.”

**

    His days had taken on a pattern after that. He would go through breakfast, unaware of the fact that he was starting to eat more and more with each day that passed, no longer turning his nose up at the different food, listening as Lena chattered away. Before he had always turned her out, but gradually he started to listen to her words. She painted a picture of the Manor and the countryside around it that he had yet to see, and he found himself wondering if he would ever get to see these vibrant greens and bright sunshine dancing over the manor windows that she spoke of and the vast swathes of flowers in the gardens. Other times she would talk about her family who lived miles away in the nearest village, the fondness in her voice as she talked of unruly siblings and her best friend Emily, making him long to meet them, just to see this family that sounded so far from his notion of family that he wondered if it was real.

   He didn’t say that though, not ready to give voice to the new thoughts and feelings spilling through his mind. Unaware of the fact that Lena had caught the shift in his attention, the slight softening of the scowl he usually wore and that she was deliberately dredging up the best stories she could remember, thinking that maybe if she could get him to smile, then he would look quite different.

    After breakfast, he would hastily dress, no longer waiting for someone to help him and gradually getting better at the task, although occasionally Lena who would be finishing tidying his room at that point would halt him and point out any mistakes he had made before he went outside.

Then he was gone.

     At first, he had just walked, but as the days went by and his eagerness to see his friend grew he started to run the moment he was out of the door. Unaware that in his simple focus on finding the bird, a robin he had been informed after running into one of the gardeners earlier that week, he was doing something that was good for him. There was a brightness in his eyes that had been missing before, and a healthy glow to his features and in the rare moments when he would let himself smile and laugh, usually in response to the robin’s chirps and trills, he looked like a healthy, happy child.

     He was laughing now as he bolted for the furthest part of the gardens where he would typically find the little robin, the wind that before had sliced through him, now buoyed him along, challenging him and he sped up, spreading his arms out and pretending that he was flying together with the wind.

    Caught up in his play and the anticipation of seeing the robin, he was paying no mind to where he was going, something that wasn’t usually an issue as there was rarely anyone out this far, and the gardeners like everyone that worked in the Manor kept their distance. Today, however, his journey was brought to an abrupt halt as he collided with something warm and solid, the velocity of the collision sending it and him tumbling to the ground, and he squawked in alarm, startled when there was an answering yelp as he landed on whatever he had collided with. Feeling it moving beneath he scrambled off, turning to see what it was and freezing where he was crouched as he stared wide-eyed at the boy who was slowly sitting up, rubbing at his head.

“Ouch…” The boy muttered, before lifting his head to look at Gabriel with eyes and bright as a summer sky, a sheepish grin spreading across his face. “Sorry about that, I should have been looking where I was going.” In the past, Gabriel would have turned his nose up at the apology, and the boy making it, his eyes slowly roving over the messy blond hair that was being ruffled by the wind, and the simple clothes he wore that sported more than a bit of dirt after their collision. However, the usual retort wouldn’t come, as he stared wide-eyed at the grin that didn’t falter even as the silence stretched on, and slowly rising to his feet he did something that he would never have thought of doing that long ago, he held his hand out to the other boy.

“I think we ran into each other.” It was the closest he could manage to an apology, but it seemed to be enough because the other boy’s grin grew even brighter as he accepted Gabriel’s hand, letting him pull him to his feet. “Who are you?” Gabriel asked, dropping his hand and taking a step back, feeling suddenly awkward. He wasn’t good at interacting with other children. The other boy didn’t seem to have that problem, briskly brushing himself down as he answered.

“I’m Jack.”

    _Jack,_ Gabriel rolled the name over and over, something tugging at the edge of his thoughts. He knew that name although he couldn’t place it, and it took him a moment to realise that Jack was watching him expectantly and he coloured as he realised he hadn’t introduced himself.

“I’m Gabriel…Gabriel Reyes.” Blue eyes widened at that, Jack’s gaze darting to the Manor which loomed over them in the distance as comprehension dawned.

“You’re the one that Lena was telling me about!”

“You know Lena?”

“She’s my cousin,” Jack replied easily with a grin, and Gabriel realised that he could see a trace of Lena in that smile and in the lively chatter and it made him feel a little more at ease, although he wondered what she might have said about him.  “I live with her mother, my aunt.” Gabriel seized on those words, pleased to know they had something in common.

“I live with my Aunt too….” Gabriel trailed off. He had heard the fondness in Jack’s voice as he mentioned his Aunt, and he remembered the bounce in Lena’s voice when she talked about her home and family, and he sighed. It was completely different, he hadn’t even set eyes on his Aunt at this stage, and when he had asked when she would be back, he had either been ignored or given half answers, and he scowled, his good mood soured slightly as he ducked his head.  “Sort of.”

“And your….” Jack began before trailing off with a soft noise, and despite himself, Gabriel found himself looking up, just in time to see the other boy’s cheeks turning pink.

“And my?”

“Ah, it’s nothing,” Jack shook his head, looking a little flustered before he tilted his head as he studied Gabriel. “You’re not what I expected.”

“What did you expect?”

“Dunno,” Jack seemed to consider for a moment, and Gabriel fought the urge to squirm under the intense gaze, unused to so much attention after all this time. “Lena said that you looked like you had the weight of the world on your shoulders and that you wanted everyone to suffer with you.”

“I…”  Gabriel wanted to argue, not sure that he liked such bluntness, but the words wouldn’t come as he remembered how everyone had avoided him and how the children had reacted to him on the journey. _Was it him?_ He hadn’t thought about it before, even with all the new thoughts and feelings he’d had since coming here, and he didn’t realise it, but that moment was a turning point for him as he squirmed under Jack’s gaze.  “Why are you here?” He asked abruptly, keen for a change of topic, but also hoping to keep Jack here and talking to him for as long as possible.

“I was bringing a cake from home for Lena,” Jack explained, easily accepting the change of topic. “She’s always moaning that she misses out on mum’s cooking, so I offered to bring some.” Gabriel nodded, remembering her talking about it a couple of times, and he wondered whether it really tasted different from the food he ate here, before he frowned, remembering that Lena had said her home was miles away.

“But, how did you get here?”

“I walked and ran, although I had to leave at dawn,” Jack admitted with a laugh, stretching out his arms as he added cheerfully. “Nothing like coming through the fields, even at this time of year.”

“But…isn’t it too far?” Gabriel asked uncertainly. He still struggled to run across the length of the garden, although he was getting stronger and fitter by the day, and he couldn’t imagine travelling all that way just to bring a cake to someone, and there was a hint of awe in his gaze as he studied Jack.

“Nah, besides Lena can’t come home as often as we’d like,” Jack replied, and Gabriel felt an incomprehensible surge of guilt as he realised that even as he had listened to Lena talking about her home and family, he had taken her place in the Manor for granted. Did she miss home? Did she wish that she was there rather than stuck with him? He looked down, frowning, and nearly jumping out of his skin when a warm hand grasped his shoulder, lifting his head to find that Jack had closed the distance between them, blue eyes worried. “Now you’re looking more like the serious person I expected, what is it?” There was genuine concern behind the question, and it stopped Gabriel from bristling at the blunt comment.

“I was thinking, she must miss being at home.”

“A little,” Jack admitted, but he didn’t seem sad about it to Gabriel’s confusion.  “But Lena likes working here, and she talks about you when she’s home and in her letters.” Gabriel wasn’t sure how he felt about that, but she couldn’t have said anything too bad, despite his behaviour when he had first arrived otherwise he was sure that Jack would want nothing to do with him. “So, what are you doing out this far? I never usually see anyone out here,” Jack asked, drawing him out of his thoughts and reminding Gabriel had been out here in the first place, and he studied the other boy for a moment. He hadn’t told anyone about the robin, hoping the gardener wouldn’t say anything, as he had kind of like having a secret that was all his own.  However, there was something about Jack that made him want to share the secret, and after a moment he whispered.

“I was looking for the robin.”

“The Robin,” Jack repeated, confused for a moment before realisation dawned and he laughed. “Oh, I know who you mean! He’s usually following the gardeners around, you should hear them scolding him, as though that would ever stop him.” Gabriel pouted for a minute, not liking the idea of other people knowing his friend, even though he knew that the bird had probably been here a lot longer than he had and Jack’s expression softened. “Come on,” he released Gabriel’s shoulder, but before Gabriel could start to miss the contact, he had shifted his grip to his wrist, gently pulling him along the path. “Let’s go and see your friend.”

*

    In the end, they had spent the afternoon running down the paths, eventually finding the robin down one of the narrow sidewalks that led around a high wall covered in ivy. Gabriel had never paid it much mind before, after all, there were high walls around several of the gardens, but today he found himself wondering what lay beyond it as he caught Jack’s wandering to it a couple of times. However, when he had tried to ask about it, he had been distracted by the other boy’s chatter and the shrill chirps of the robin who sounded like he was talking back to Jack. And as they ran and played, chasing the fluttering bird and each other, racing the wind, the question slipped from his mind altogether.

**

    That evening Gabriel found himself eating more than usual, and enjoying every mouthful of it as he listened to Lena’s unceasing chatter as she worked. He had spent the entire afternoon with Jack, at least until the other boy had to head home if he wanted to cross the fields before it got too dark and it was hard to keep the smile off his face. It had been a novel experience, and not once had Jack shown any reluctance to play with him, or hear what he had to say. He was almost reluctant to talk about it, feeling as though some of the warmth of the memory might disappear if he shared it with anyone, even with Lena. However, when he had finished his main meal, he noticed the slice of cake sitting on the tray and he paused, focusing on Lena for a moment, truly looking at her for before saying quietly. “I met Jack today.”

“I wondered if you would,” Lena replied, glancing across at him with a grin that reminded him of Jack’s, although in his mind it wasn’t nearly as warm. “He’s been pestering with me questions ever since he learnt that you’d come to live here, and I had a feeling he might take the chance to try and look for you after he visited with me.”  She pointed to the cake on the plate. “That’s a bit of the cake he brought, Mum said that I should share it with you.” She didn’t sound like she minded, and Gabriel gave her an almost smile before he took a tentative mouthful of the cake, eyes widening with delight as the taste blossomed in his mouth.

“It’s good,” he mumbled, forgetting all about his manners for a moment, but Lena didn’t seem to mind, smiling at the praise and the way he continued to eat, no sign of fussiness to be seen. She made a note to ask her mother to send more food her way, as he was slowly filling out but the cooks here were more used to catering to their Mistress’ whims than a growing child.

“Lena, why was Jack interested in me?” Gabriel asked when he had finally finished eating, the question had been bothering him from the moment she had said it, confused as to why someone he had never met before today would be interested in him. Even those who cared for him had rarely been genuinely interested in him as a person, they just wanted to know how to please him so that they could keep their jobs.

“Jack likes meeting new people,” Lena replied easily, and Gabriel felt himself relaxing, a small part of him had wondered if maybe Jack had been told to talk to him. However, Lena he had learned was a horrible liar, having heard Mrs O’Deorain scolding her speaking her mind on more than one occasion, so he knew that he could trust what she was saying. “And there hasn’t… there hasn’t been a child here in a long time.” He caught the hesitation, the sudden darkening of her expression, but as soon as he focused on it, it was gone, and she was smiling at him again.  “He was worried that you’d be lonely out here.”

_Lonely._

     Yes, he was lonely, or he had been. The feeling had eased a little since he had befriended the little robin, and today when he had spoken with Jack, it was as though he had never felt lonely at all. It hadn’t mattered that they’d been strangers, or that they had been completely different, and Gabriel wiggled in his seat. He wanted to have that feeling again.

“Do…” His voice caught in his throat, and he swallowed before asking tentatively. “Do you think he’d like to be my friend?”  

    Lena paused at the question, turning to look at him properly. Any temptation she might have had to tease and joke as she would with most people as she saw the emotion that had replaced the usual blank expression he adopted around her. For the first time he looked like a proper child, eyes bright, glowing with health after a day outside and hands twisting nervously in his lap, uncertainty written across his face as he waited for an answer. At that moment her heart went out to him, not for the first time wondering who had thought that it was a good idea to bring him to this lonely house, and she smiled, not her usual bright grin, but a softer more understanding one.

“Yes,” she murmured, making a note to talk to Jack as soon as she could. “I think he would.”

 


	2. Chapter 2

   As Gabriel lay in bed that night, too excited to sleep, he thought for the first time that he might believe in magic. He wasn’t sure what had prompted that thought, maybe it was the fact that Lena had said that she thought Jack would want to be his friends, something that privately he had started to believe would never happen. Or maybe it was Jack himself, the bright, sky-coloured eyes which had lit up when he smiled and laugh which he seemed to do more often than anything else, and the way he had been able to charm the robin to him straight away. The way he had charmed Gabriel. _He had to be magic,_ because why else would he like someone like him?

    His time at Blackwatch Manor had given him plenty of time to realise that many of the issues he had with other children had stemmed from his own behaviour, as much as he had hated admitting it, even to himself. And yet Jack…

 _Might want to be a friend_.

It had to be magic.

   His thoughts were starting to go in circles, exhaustion creeping in on him now. While he had got used to spending longer and longer running around the gardens and playing, it was nothing compared to chasing another child, tussling and laughing all day and it was starting to catch up with him. Besides, the hope that he might get to see Jack again the next day even though they hadn’t made plans, had him eager for morning to come and he knew that sleeping would make it seem like it came sooner. However, he had just shut his eyes and tried to will his thoughts to be quiet so that he could drop off when he heard it. At first, he tried to ignore the noise, burrowing into his pillow, but it didn’t fade, and finally, with an exasperated noise he sat up in bed.

    The sound was distant, as though it came from many rooms away, echoing through the corridor and he shivered, thinking for a moment that it sounded like the ghosts that one of his previous nannies had told him about in the hopes of scaring him into not wandering around at night. He could almost believe it, considering the house, and it was tempting to hide under his covers. However maybe it was because he had changed, or perhaps it had been Jack’s daring when they had scrambled up one of the trees earlier, the other boy going higher and higher even when Gabriel had faltered, rubbing off him, but he stayed where he was and listened.

It wasn’t a ghost.

It was too human, and his eyes widened as he realised what he was hearing.

Sobbing.

    Someone was sobbing in the middle of the night. It wasn’t the high-pitched noise that the maid who’d had a toothache a couple of weeks ago had made, it was softer, for all that it carried through the air. A soft, heartbroken sound that tugged at something in Gabriel, and before he had even considered what he was doing he had slid out of bed, finding his slippers and padding to the door and opening the door, peering down the poorly lit corridor. Out here the noise was even eerier, and he shivered, before forcing himself to leave the safety of his room, praying that no one else was awake to catch him, especially Mrs O’Deorain who had made it clear that he was not to go wandering into areas that didn’t concern him.

     It was almost enough to make him turn back, and maybe if he had been the same sullen child he had been when he arrived, he would have retreated. Instead, he struck out, following the noise through the winding corridors and past all the rooms that he had never bothered to explore, pausing outside each one to see if the sobbing was coming from within.

     It felt like he had been creeping through the dark house for hours when the sobbing abruptly cut off and he froze, listening intently, heart beginning to hammer in his chest because without the sound to follow the darkness suddenly seemed far more threatening. Somewhere up ahead there was a thud, and the sound of a familiar voice and Gabriel tensed. Mrs O’Deorain. He couldn’t make out what she was saying, but he would recognise the accent anyway, and he took a few steps backwards before he froze again, because there was another voice. Softer. Almost child-like, and for the first time since he had arrived he flashed back to the child he had thought he had glimpsed in the window.

But, they said I was the only one...

    He didn’t dare go any closer, not with the housekeeper around and with a last longing glance in the direction of the voices, curiosity engulfing him, he turned and bolted back to his room before he could be caught.

*

    He’d thought that he would never get to sleep after that excitement, his mind churning as he tried to work out what was going on. It was clearly a secret. Otherwise, he would never have been banned from exploring, and he yearned to know what was happening. Was there another child in the house? And if there was, who were they? And why wasn’t Gabriel allowed to know? After all, they’d all muttered about him needing people his own age to play with enough times. However, while the questions were still swirling around and around in his mind, the day caught up to him, and he drifted off, promising himself that he would find out the answers.

****

     Apparently, that promise wasn’t going to be as easy to keep as he had hoped. He’d pounced on Lena the next morning, asking…nearly demanding, slipping back into old habits in his need for answers…who had been crying the night before. For the first time since he’d met her, Lena’s smile had faltered and dimmed as she’d tried to change the topic, before explaining that it was just Amelie whose toothache was still giving her grief. Gabriel had stared at her, before stating in a calm voice that it hadn’t sounded like her and that he was sure it had been a child crying and that he’d heard a child speaking when he’d gone to see what was happening. He still wasn’t sure what he’d heard, but Lena jolted at his words, the colour draining from her face at his words.

   He’d thought that he had her, leaning forward eagerly in the hopes of getting his answers and he was caught by surprise when she reached and gripped his shoulders.

“You need to forget what you heard,” Lena ordered sternly, meeting his gaze and holding it as she added warningly. “And no more wandering about.”

“But…”

“No more wandering about,” Lena punctuated each word with a gentle shake, as though she was trying to drive the message home.  “It’s more than either of our lives are worth. Now promise me.” The old Gabriel would have been blind to the fear behind those words, the edge of desperation in her voice, but now he could hear it even if he didn’t understand it, and he shivered, caught up in her emotions. Just what were they hiding? He wanted to know, even with her warning he wanted answers, but her fingers were beginning to bite into his shoulders, and he had a feeling that she wasn’t going to let him go until he agreed and with a sigh he nodded, just a tiny tilt of his head. “Say it.”

“I promise,” he muttered, realising that she wasn’t going to let him get away with that and she stared at him for a moment longer, searching his expression for any hint of a lie before releasing him and stepping back, colouring as she realised what she had done.

“Good.” There was no sign she regretted it though, her usual grin slowly creeping back onto her face as she pointed at his food. “Now finish your breakfast quickly, because I have a feeling that Jack will be back and looking for you.” Gabriel knew that it was a distraction, but it didn’t stop his eyes from lighting up.

“Really?”

“Really.” There was no way she was going to tell him that she had begged and wheedled to be allowed to use the house phone to call the village, sending a message to her mother to send Jack along if he could be spared. And while she hadn’t heard back, she knew Jack, and she had no doubt he’d be here.

   Gabriel attacked his breakfast with gusto, the picture of healthy, growing boy and she made a note to talk to the cook about bigger portions, laughing as he practically inhaled the porridge, almost out of his chair before he had finished the final spoonful. He muttered a thank you, unaware of her eyes widening in surprise as he bolted to get his coat, and she was still gathering the dishes when he left, and she shouted a cheerful goodbye to him, her earlier mood gone now that his curiosity had been diverted and hopefully forgotten.

But, Gabriel hadn’t forgotten.

**

     He’d tried asking Jack when as Lena had suspected he’d found the blond boy waiting down the same path where they’d collided the day before, the robin perched on his knee as he sat cross-legged under one of the trees, greeting Gabriel with the same sunny grin as the day before. However, if Jack knew anything he masked it well, shrugging and saying that the likes of him weren’t allowed into the house, and while there were enough legends about the house to fill a book, he didn’t know anything about ghosts or children. Gabriel was disappointed, his curiosity burning brighter than ever after Lena’s reaction, but he pushed it aside for the time being because Jack was there and real.

     They spent the day playing and exploring. This time Jack had brought a picnic with him, one that he willingly shared with Gabriel when they collapsed panting and laughing in one of the gardens, and whilst it was simple fare, home-baked bread and cheese, with apples and a slice of cake each, it was the most delicious thing Gabriel had ever tasted. Jack laughed when he declared that, but it was soft, not mocking, and his expression was open when he said that Gabriel would have to come for dinner at his at some point because he would soon change his mind when he tried Jack’s Aunt’s cooking. Gabriel had agreed enthusiastically, even as he had wondered if he would be allowed to go, unaware that Jack was already plotting to talk to his Aunt and Lena as he caught the spark in the other boy’s eyes.

    The afternoon was spent exploring further afield, and Gabriel was reminded of another mystery that needed solving when he spied Jack eyeing the high wall that seemed to loop in a circle as they followed the long path around it. Yet, there didn’t seem to be any way to go through it, even though all the other walled gardens had multiple gates to enter by.

“What’s behind there?” He asked when they paused to catch their breath, pointing at the ivy-covered wall when Jack looked up in question. For a moment he thought that Jack wasn’t going to answer, as something, similar to the alarm that Lena had shown earlier flickered in the blue eyes, but then he shrugged, grin still in place as he leant back against the wall.

“It’s one of the best-known legends about Blackwatch Manor,” Jack explained, and Gabriel scowled for a moment, not liking the idea that everyone knew more about his home than he did, although the irritation was promptly forgotten as Jack leaned forward and added softly. “The secret garden.

“The secret garden?” Gabriel echoed, feeling a shiver run down his back, not sure whether it was fear or anticipation and inexplicably thinking back to the eerie sobbing from last night. Just how many secrets did his new home hold?

“Rumour has it that no one has been inside it for nearly ten years,” Jack explained, grin dimming and his expression turning solemn as he added cautiously.  “Ever since the Master of the house passed away.”

“My uncle?”

“Yes,” Jack nodded, watching him for a moment and Gabriel wondered if he was waiting for him to react to the loss, but he had never known the man. Even less than he had known his own parents and while he felt a pang of something at the thought of his Aunt living in this huge house on her own, it was distant and foreign. “He used to help take care of all the gardens,” Jack continued. “But apparently that was his special garden, none of the gardeners was allowed in, but he and your Aunt used to spend long hours in there.”

“So why is it sealed now?”

“It’s where he died,” Jack whispered, and Gabriel swallowed, feeling the shiver again and glancing up at the wall. “It’s a huge mystery what happened to him, but lots of the locals remember hearing that he had been found in the garden and that had been too late to help him when he was found.”

    They were both quiet for a moment after that, Gabriel absorbing what Jack had told him and wondering if the secrets around the garden were linked to the mysterious sobbing, and Jack was busy watching his reactions.

“I wonder what it looks like,” Gabriel murmured finally, staring up at the walls once more and watching the ivy as it swayed in the breeze before turning to meet Jack’s gaze. “The garden I mean.”

“No one knows,” Jack shrugged, but there was a spark in his eyes that told Gabriel he was just as curious about what lay behind the wall as he was. “It’s been locked for so long, and there isn’t even a door anymore.”

“There has to be a door,” Gabriel argued, even if he had been looking all day and seen nothing to indicate there was one. _But there has to be a way inside._  He climbed back to his feet, practically vibrating with excitement as he held out a hand to Jack. “Let’s try and find it!” As much as he wanted answers, to uncover at least one of Blackwatch Manor’s secrets, he also liked the idea of having a place that would just be theirs, and he grinned, face lighting up as Jack took his hand with a soft murmur of agreement.

   The rest of the afternoon passed in a blur as they searched for a door, although they had barely covered half the wall when it had got so late that Jack had to leave. Gabriel would have been disappointed were it not for Jack promising to be back the next day to help him search as long as the weather was nice, and he must have looked stunned by the fact that the other boy was willingly coming back to be with him, because Jack laughed, a soft, sad sound before tweaking his noise. “We’re friends now so stop looking so surprised,” he said it so easily that Gabriel didn’t know what to say, although he couldn’t keep the grin off his face as he waved to the other boy.

Jack wanted to be his friend!

_No, he already is._

**

    They spent the next day hunting for the door, but it was the day after that when they finally had success, Gabriel letting out a triumphant yell as he felt metal under his searching fingers. At once Jack was there, and together they carefully eased the curtain of ivy away from the wall, trying not to damage it so that they could continue to use it to hide what lay underneath, and there it was. The door was old, the wood weathered by the wind and rain and covered in a soft layer of green that would have had Gabriel recoiling in the past, but now he reverently lay his hand on top of it. _They had found it._

   His triumph was short-lived as they realised that not only was it locked, unsurprising considering the tale behind it, but while the wood and metal were aged they were solidly built and didn’t give in the slightest between their combined efforts. It was infuriating. The secret garden was within their reach, and yet it had never seen further away as they collapsed to the ground once they’d realised how futile their current efforts were.

“There has to be a key somewhere, maybe I could ask,” Gabriel muttered. But even as the words left his lips he knew that he wouldn’t.  Especially as he’d run afoul of Mrs O’Deorain just the day before, when he had absentmindedly wandered into one of the corridors that he was supposed to be avoiding, and he was sure his ears were still ringing from the blistering scolding she had given him. He could just imagine what her reaction would be if he turned up and asked for a key to the secret garden, and he was worried that she might ban him from playing in the gardens, from playing with Jack… he couldn’t let that happen. Their friendship, his first friendship was something he guarded fiercely, reluctant to even share the details with Lena.

“At least we found the door,” Jack pointed out, and Gabriel wondered how the other boy could be so calm about the fact that they hadn’t really got anywhere. However, it was impossible not to respond to Jack’s smile, and he sighed, before offering a weaker grin of his own, even as his gaze drifted back to the door which was hidden beneath the ivy once.

_But, I want to see what’s on the other side._

****

    Gabriel dwelled on the door and the mysterious sobbing, although he hadn’t heard the latter since that night, but he didn’t dare bring it up as he caught the housekeeper watching him more intently and for a while, he wondered if Lena had told her about his late-night adventure. However, Lena never brought up his questions, and after spending days with Jack, hearing tales about their home life, he couldn’t bring himself to really believe that she had told on him. Still, he made sure to be on his best behaviour when anyone was in sight, which was easier than he had expected as he still spent most of his days outside, even on the odd day where Jack wasn’t able to come, although they were his least favourite days. Those were the days when he went and sat in front of the hidden door and stare at it, as though if he glowered it long enough the door would just swing open.

It didn’t.

  

    Then the weather took a turn for the worse, and not even Gabriel could expect Jack to make the long journey to Blackwatch Manor during those days. Besides, he had been told in no uncertain terms that he wasn’t to go out in that weather, because there was no one there to take care of him if he caught a cold. Just as there was no one available to keep him company, as Lena was kept busy with other work during the day. He spent most of that first morning in his room, huddled up in the window seat and staring out through the rain-streaked glass at the gardens. From his room, he could just make out the top of the secret garden’s walls, and he sighed resting a hand against the glass. He had allowed Jack to distract him when they were together, but he still longed to find the key, especially today when he had nothing to do but daydream.

    After lunch, a lonely meal that he had little appetite for after being cooped up all morning, he decided that he’d had enough. If he wasn’t allowed to go outside, then they couldn’t just expect him to spend the entire day in his room. And even if they did, he refused to do it.

Besides, he had another mystery to investigate.

    Checking that the hallway was empty he slipped out of his room, walking barefoot in the hopes of making less noise as tried to recall the path he had taken the other night. However, there was no urgency today, and he took his time, finally taking the time to peer inside the rooms that he had walked past so many times and never looked inside. Most of them were dull, furniture covered in white cloths and dust lying thick on the ground. There were a few that had things that caught his interest though. There was one room that looked like it had been a study or sitting room before that had framed photos covering the wall, and he could resist going to look at them. Many of them were of landscapes, strange foreign ones that he didn’t recognise but wished he knew more about, but there were other ones that had people in, most of them strangers, but he was startled to find a couple with his parents in. He lingered there for some time, staring at that photo, trying to match the happy, smiling couple holding a baby that he guessed must be him, with his memory of his parents.

    There were also gaps, as though photos had been removed and it occurred to him that there was no one who looked like they could have been related to him and he frowned, it was as though everyone had been wiped out even though only his Uncle had died.

   Eventually, he pulled himself away, continuing to explore the rooms. In another room he found a display case holding numerous medals, which he touched with gentle fingers, wondering what they were for before moving on again. In another room, he saw lots of ornaments and pictures that reminded him about the picture book on Egypt one of his Governesses had made him look at,

    He reached a fork in the hallway, and he was about to turn left when he heard voices coming from the opposite direction, and this time there was no mistaking it. A child was speaking. A girl. He didn’t recognise the adult who was talking to her, and he was cautious as he crept along the corridor, not wanting to get into trouble now that he was actually close to finding something. It sounded like they were arguing, and he jolted when he heard a door opening up ahead, glancing around wildly and diving into the nearest room just in time as stern looking woman came striding out of the room, slamming the door, the door shut behind her. Gabriel cowered back as she passed his hiding spot, but she was distracted, muttering to herself that she didn’t get paid enough for this, and it wasn’t long until she was out of sight and then earshot.

    Still, Gabriel waited, straining his ears, heart hammering in his chest. It was only when he was sure that she wasn’t coming back that he left his hiding spot, moving across to the room she had just left and staring at the door. Finally, he could finally get some answers and, yet he hesitated, aware that he was breaking the rules that he had been given. However, it wasn’t enough to stop him, and quietly he moved forward, twisting the handle and slipping inside, pulling the door shut after him as an extra security measure, waiting for it to click shut before he lifted his head.

Only to freeze.

    Whatever, he had been expecting, even with what he had heard and possibly expected, it hadn’t been the girl sat on a small sofa with an open book in her lap. A book that was now forgotten as she also froze, staring wide-eyed at him and looking as though she had seen a gaze. Gabriel guessed that she was a little younger than he was, although she looked as though she would nearly match him for height if she was stood up. He couldn’t stop staring at her as he inched a little further into the room, almost unable to believe that she was really there.

“Who are you?” He asked, voice soft as though he was frightened to break the spell as they continued to stare at one another. However, at his question the girl straightened, lifting her head high.

“I’m Fareeha Amari,” the girl replied, her tone implying that he should have known that already and he scowled at her, only to be met by her glare and a barrage of questions that demanded answers. “Who are you? Why are you here?”

“I’m Gabriel Reyes,” Gabriel matched her tone, lifting his head and meeting her gaze boldly. She was nothing like Jack, and there was something about her imperious manner that set him on edge, completely blind to the fact that she sounded just as he had when he first arrived. “I live here, and I heard the noise you crying the other night…” It was blunt, painfully blunt, and maybe if he had been around others more, he might have softened his words a little. As it was Fareeha coloured at his words, ducking her head and refusing to meet his gaze and he swallowed. It had been so easy to talk to Jack, so why was he messing this up? He rubbed awkwardly at his hair. “I’m sorry…” It was a stilted apology, the words of someone who didn’t fully understand what they had done wrong. “I just…I thought I was imagining things, I was told I was the only child here.”

    Fareeha had peeked up at him at the apology, and he caught her eyes widen at his words before she scowled, although this time he had a feeling it wasn’t really aimed at him this time. “They shouldn’t have done that.” She sounded cross and imperious, and Gabriel was reminded painfully of how he used to be, feeling how he wanted to bristle at the tone. Was this how everyone had felt around him? He didn’t say anything though, and after a moment she subsided with a sigh, and her next words lacked any real heat. “I’ll tell them not to hide me anymore.”

“Why were they hiding you?” Gabriel wasn’t entirely sure that he wanted her to tell, because that would mean that people found out he had disobeyed and gone exploring. Maybe he would tell her in a minute, but it would have to wait because she had hunkered down and he tilted his head, confused. She had seemed so imperious and confident a moment before, but now she looked her age. “Are you ill?” He asked, hoping to help and remembering how one of his parent’s friends had a sickly son who had never been allowed outside, or to attend the very few playdates that Gabriel had been sent on.

“No,” Fareeha scowled, looking offended at the suggestion. “I’m perfectly fine, and I bet that I’m stronger than you!” She looked ready to try and prove her point, and Gabriel hastily threw his hands up to show that he didn’t mean any harm. Trying not to think that she might be right as she was sturdily built, although she lacked the colour in her cheeks that both he and Jack seemed to have in excess after the long days outside/

“Then…”

“I’m not meant to go outside,” Fareeha muttered, but there was longing in her eyes as she glanced towards the window before her gaze skittered away.  “My mother thinks that if I’m hidden away, and don’t know people I will be safer…”

“Why not?” Gabriel asked with a frown. Nearly everyone he had spoken to had said how much he had changed for going outside, and he heard several of them muttering less than complimentary things about how he had been raised, although he had a feeling that he wasn’t supposed to have heard. “Everyone says that children should go outside!” He added, repeating when Lena and Jack had said. _And safe from what?_

“Not my mother,” Fareeha replied. “She’s scared that something could happen to me.”

“Why would something happen to you?”

“Something happened to my father because of what she used to do,” Fareeha admitted quietly, and there was sorrow in her expression that Gabriel almost envied. In the past, he would have envied the fact that she had known her parents well enough to mourn the loss of one of them, as even now his own thoughts and feelings towards his own deceased parents were ambiguous at best. But his time at Blackwatch Manor and being with Jack and Lena had softened him, so he pushed that feeling away and instead he felt sorry for her grief.  “And it’s how she lost her eye.” Gabriel started at that, and Fareeha stared at him, confused by his reaction.  “You didn’t know?”

“I’ve never seen her…”

“But I thought you said that you lived here?”

“I do,” Gabriel muttered, glancing down, not wanting her to see how much the next words hurt him. “But she went away the same night I arrived.” He had asked about it once, and Lena had tried to assure him that Mistress Amari was rarely in residence these days, but he couldn’t help but dwell on the timing of her departure and the fact that she hadn’t stayed long enough to see him. It reminded him too much of his own parents, and his hands curled into fists at his side, even as he tried to remind himself that things were different. He had a friend here, he had someone that actually cared.

“She’s always travelled a lot,” Fareeha said softly, and when he looked up, her expression echoed his own feelings and their gazes met, an understanding passing between them as she continued. “But she’s never at home these days.” Gabriel blinked, realising that she was attempting to comfort him even as her eyes glistened as she added. “I miss her.” It was a feeling that Gabriel couldn’t really understand, but what he did understand was the loneliness behind it, thinking back to his early days at the Manor when he would have given anything for a friend. He was lucky, he had found Jack but Fareeha didn’t even have that cooped up in here, and he had stepped forwards before he had even thought about what he was going to do.

“I…”  This had been so much easier with Jack, the other boy making everything just click and Gabriel was still awkward, and he felt even more so as he held out a hand to her. “I know it’s not the same, but we’re kind of the same, and doyouwanttobefriends…” The last bit came out in a garbled rush, and Fareeha wrinkled her nose as she tried to make sense of his words, clearly connecting the dots as her eyes widened and she stared at his outstretched hand. There was a tense moment as they just stared at one another and Gabriel was just beginning to regret it, when Fareeha moved, reaching out to shyly take his hand and offering him a proper smile for the first time.

“I think I’d like that.”


End file.
